ORMOC CITY — The Regional Office No. 8 of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) Geohazard Survey Team recommended for the relocation and evacuation of the residents in the identified quake-damaged areas in Ormoc City based on a summary report.
The summary report was about the 6.5 magnitude earthquake last July 6, 2017, in North 39 degrees East of Ormoc City. The geohazard team conducted the survey assessment together with 67 volunteer-workers from seven private mining companies.
It was conducted in coordination and data sharing with the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) and the local government unit officials of Ormoc City.
Based on the report, it is recommended that a relocation of the residents into safer grounds be conducted due to fissures, road cracks, damaged concrete and wooden houses, and landslide-prone areas such as Purok 1 and Purok 6 in Barangay Tongonan.
It was also recommended that the guard house be relocated due to fissure at the cliff side before the entrance of the Energy Development Corporation (EDC). Heavy vehicles heading to Purok 7 in Tongonan will be prohibited to pass due to landslide debris, tension cracks, and road slips.
Further, the report also recommended the relocation of the residents of Purok 7 of Barangay Cabintang because of several landslides along the road cuts. The resident in Purok 5 in Milagro were also recommended for relocation because of some wooden houses that were situated on the cliff.
The residents situated down the slope of Barangay Nueva Vista were also recommended for evacuation due to the presence of active and/or recent landslides; there were also some large tension cracks and drainages that were prone to landslide.
The resident of Purok 7 and Sitios Cabantog and Quart in Barangay Lake Danao were also recommended to evacuate due to road cracks, house collapsing, collapsed houses, embankment failure, and block culvert.
The summary of the report presented some recommendations to check the heavy damages brought by the 6.5 magnitude earthquake to the identified areas in Ormoc City where the recommendations for evacuation and relocation were made.
Part of the report was the presentation of the hydrogeological assessment of Ormoc City.